Brush operating mechanism



May 29, 1945. R. M. NARDONE 2,377,260

BRUSH OPERATING MECHANISM Original Filed Aug. 19, 1942 s sheets-sheet 1IN VEN TOR.

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BRUSH OPERATING MECHANISM Original Filed Aug. 19, 1942 3 Sheets-Shet 2INVENTOR.

May 29, 1945. R M, N R N 2,377,260

BRUSH OPERATING MECHANISM Original Filed Aug. 19, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 31' k V," I. 1 1:21 123 1.271% 7 I IN V EN TOR. Romeo MA/ardone BY(Lttorneu.

Patented May 29, 1945 BRUSH OPERATING MECHANISM Romeo M. Nardone,Westwood, N. J., assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, Bendix, N. J.,a corporation of Delaware Original application August 19, 1942, SerialNo. 455,369, now Patent No. 2,319,469, dated May 18,

1943, Serial No. 484,761

3 Claims.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and particularlyto the starting of an internal combustion engine by imparting initialrotary movement to the engine crank-shaft v through the agency of amechanical torque transmitting starter mechanism. This application is adivisionof my application No. 455,369, filed August 19, 1942, now PatentNo. 2,319,469, patergy in a driving member of the inertia type.

Another object is to provide novel means facilitating rotation of theinertia element (flywheel) in either desired direction, prior tooperation of the means for moving the engine-engaging member toengine-engaging position.

Another object is to provide flywheel energizing means including areversible electric motor having associated therewith brush lifting andreversing mechanisms of novel construction.

These and other objects of the invention will 4 become apparent frominspection of the following specification when read with reference tothe accompanying'drawings wherein is illustrated the preferredembodiment of the invention. It is to be expressly understood, however,that the draw- 5 ings are for the purpose of illustration only, and arenot designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, referencebeing had to the appended claims for this purpose.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view of a de- I vice embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a View along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figs.'3 and 4 show the engine-engaging member and actuating meanstherefor, in successive stages of operation;

Fig. 5 is a view along line 5-5 of 1; and Fig. 6 is a diagram ofelectrical connections.

In Fig. l the inertia element (flywheel) is shown as having a hub |2keyed to the shaft l3 oi the armature Ml of an electric motor whosefield coils it are supported on a frame I! fastened to a transverseplate is constituting part of a sectional housing; the said plate |8being secured between the housing sections 2| and 22. A third housingsection 23 supports the sections Divided and this application April 27,

22 and 2|, and is in turn supported on a mounting flange 24 of theengine to be started; the sections 23 and 24 being held together bysuitable bolts 26. A rotatable part 21 of the engine has ratchet teeth28 for engagement by correspondingly shaped teeth on an engine-engagingmember 29, and the latter has a cylindrical extension or hub 3| mountedfor rotation and limited axial movement within the housing section 23.

Housing section 22 has an inwardly extending position with two,openings-One to receive a bearing assembly 36 in which the shaft l3rotates, and the other to receive a pair of bearing assemblies 3'1 and38 in which a shaft and a sleeve 40 have unitary rotation. Sleeve 40 isan extension of a bell-shaped gear 4| which meshes with a pinion 42, thelatter being integrated with armature shaft I3 in any suitable manner.

Shaft 39 is keyed to sleeve 40 and terminates in teeth 44 to form apinion having meshing relationship to the internally formed teeth of anannulus gear 46 whose hub 41 has relative rotation about a hollow shaft48 that is drivably connected to the hub of a plate 49 constituting partof a barrel 5|. Bearing assemblies 52 and 53 facilitate free rotation ofbarrel 5| in housing section 23.

Hub 41 of gear 46 has teeth, and these constitute a sun gear for meshwith a plurality of planetary gears 56 that arerotatably mounted on thebarrel end 49and mesh with an internal gear 5'! which is shown asintegral with the housing section 23. Preferably three planetary gears56 are employed, and one of these is shown in section in Fig. 1. Thesegears 56 are preferably spaced apart, so that as the view is taken inFig. 1, one of the gears appears in elevation below the center line.Each of the planetary gears is rotatably mounted by means of a ballbearing 58 carried by a sleeve 59 which is held at its inner end inbarrel end 49. Extending into sleeve 59 and threaded thereto is a screw6| which supports the sleeve, bearing and planetary gear. If desired aretaining ring 62 for'bearings 58 may be formed integral with sleeves59.

For torque limiting purposes there is preferably employed a multipledisc clutch embodying a plurality of friction discs 63, a number of saiddiscs being splined to the inner surface of barrel 5|, and the remainderbeing splined to the outer surface of a shell or sleev 64. Resilientmeans such as a plurality of coil springs '66 and an adjusting nut 61,which is threaded into the inner end of barrel 5|, are provided forvarying the pressure with which discs 63 are maintained in engagement.

The novel engine-engaging control means, heretofore referred to, willnow be described in detail. A rod 8| passes through hollow shaft 48, andat its outer end is threaded to receive a nut 82 which abuts thetransverse apertured wall 83 of engine-engaging member 29 and therebyretains the said member 29 in assembled relationship to the rod 8| whichpasses freely through said apertured wall 83. At its other end rod 8| isformed to receive one end of a bell-crank 84 mounted on a rock-shaft 86journaled in bearings 81 and 88 (Fig. 2) of the housing section 22, andprojecting through said housing section 22 to receive a secondbell-crank 89 for manual operation of rod 8|. Automatic operationof rod8 I, following initial acceleration of flywheel I I, is provided bysolenoid 9| whose plunger 92 has an extension 93 which abuts the upperend of bell-crank 84 and moves the latter about its pivot in response toenergization of winding 9| in the manner hereinafter described. Atorsion spring 94 yieldably opposes such clockwise (Fig. 1) swinging ofbellcrank 84, but this clockwise swinging is nevertheless effective tomove rod 8| to the left. On the rod 8| there is a coiled compressionspring 98 and a cup 91. the latter being normally urged against the rodcollar 98 by the spring action. A detent IN is urged in a radiallyoutward direction by a leaf spring I02, and, because of this urging, itnormally engages a tapered shoulder I03 (Figs. 1, 3 and 4) formed by theinternal splines of sleeve 64, which splines coact with the externalsplines I05 on the hub 3| of engineengaging member 29. This engagementof detent I0| with shoulder I03 holds member 29 against any axialdisplacement until the axial displacement of rod 8| fully compressesspring 96-in other words, until the parts reach the relative positionsshown in Fig. 3. At that moment the continued pressure to the left ofrod collar 8| (urged by the solenoid plunger 92), in conjunction withthe now built-up stress in spring 96, results in a snap-action movementof member 29 to the left, into the position shown in Fig. 4. Thus enginengagement is effected, and the energy previously stored in flywheel IIis transmitted to the member 21 of the engine, to crank the latter.

The previous storage of energy in flywheel II may have been by manualacceleration of the flywheel (through the gear train) or by motoroperation. Motor operation involves an automatic brush applying actionby electromagnetic control means now to be described.

Brush actuating solenoid I01 has a plunger I08 connected by means ofsprings I09 to clevis arms III which are loosely joined to brushes H2and H3. Operation of the solenoid causes plunger I08 to move down (asshown on the drawings) so as to extend springs I09 and pull arms IIIdown to apply pressure on top of the brushes II2, H3. The act oflowering the brushes to the commutator acts as a switch so that themotor is immediately energized and accelerates flywheel II. Whensolenoid I01 is de-energized, the spring l|3 acts to push the plungerI08 upward, and collar II4 contacts arms I I to rotate them about theirhinge points I I8 and lift the brushes off the commutator by reason ofthe interengagement of said arms with the slots in the brush-carriersI2I.

The rotation of the motor can be reversed merely by shifting the livelead I22 from terminal I23 to terminal I24, at the same time joining upbrush M2 to terminal I23. Brush 2 is shown as connected to terminal I24.This reversal involves only a simple shift of conducting anglestrip I21from one terminal to the other.

To control the flow of current from source I30 to the motor andsolenoids 9| and I01, I employ a switch having a movable element withportions MI and I42v of insulating material, and portions I43 and I44 ofconducting material; also stationary fingers I48, I41, I48, and I49.Ahandle I50 enables the operator to close, first, the switch I48, I43,I41 to energize the solenoid I01 and thus apply the brushes to themotor. This allows current to flow through both the field coils I0 andarmature I4 of the motor, in series, and the flywheel I I is thusenergized at high speed.

When suflicient energy has thus been stored, the operator pushes handleI50 further to the left, thus adding to the original circuit a secondcircuit passing to the solenoid 9| by way of contacts I48, I44, and I49.The member 29 is thereupon snapped into engine-engaging position (asheretofore explained) and the engine cranked.

When the engine starts, the operator returns switch I50 to the deadposition (Fig. 6), and springs H3 and 94 now come into effect: springII3, to lift the brushes from the commutator (Fig. 6); and spring 94, torestore rod 8| to its normal (Fig. 1) position, and-along with itthemember 29.

What is claimed is:

1. A commutator brush operating mechanism comprising, in combinationwith a pair of spacedapart commutator-engaging brushes, a, slottedcarrier for each brush, a pair of arms loosely joined to said carriersat the slotted portions thereof, a solenoid having a spring-pressedplunger engaging said arms to move them in a direction to raise thebrushes from the commutator upon deenergization of said solenoid, andresilent means connecting said plunger to said arms to effect movementof said arms by said plunger in a direction to apply the brushes to thecommutator upon energization of said solenoid.

2. A commutator brush operating mechanism comprising, in combinationwith a pair of spacedapart commutator-engaging brushes, a pair of armsloosely joined to said brushes, a solenoid having a spring-pressedplunger engaging said arms to move them in a direction to raise thebrushes from the commutator upon deenergization of said solenoid, andresilient means connecting said plunger to said arms to effect movementof said arms by said plunger in a direction to apply the brushes to thecommutator upon energization of said solenoid.

3. A commutator brush operating mechanism comprising, in combinationwith a pair of spacedapart commutator-engaging brushes, a pair of armsloosely joined to said brushes, a solenoid having a spring-pressedplunger engaging said arms to move them in a direction to raise thebrushes from the commutator upon deenergization of said solenoid, andyieldable means connected between each of said arms and said plunger toeffect movement of said arms by said plunger in a direction to apply thebrushes to the commutator in yieldable relation therewith uponenergization of said solenoid.

ROMEO M. NARDONE.

